The present invention relates to the secure transfer of retail goods to a consumer and using a wireless communication system and a computer network to notify the consumer of such transfer via an electronic message.
With demands on people""s time seemingly increasing without end, people are always pursuing ways to efficiently accomplish simple, time consuming tasks. Many of these tasks involve shopping trips where only one or two items are immediately needed. Accordingly, services which can deliver goods to a consumer""s residence in a short period of time are highly desirable.
The delivery of goods to a consumer""s residence, such as through an express mail service, has proven to be problematic at times. Often times, a delivery will be attempted when nobody is home. In such a circumstance, the package can be left outside the residence where it is susceptible to theft, or the package can be taken back with the delivery carrier and delivery attempted at another time. Accordingly, efforts have been made to facilitate the delivery of goods through secured receptacles which would allow parcels to be left at a residence without the threat of theft.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,910, a secured receptacle is disclosed in which a parcel delivered through the mail may be deposited. The secured receptacle also possesses a machine-readable indicium which allows a central server and a paging receiver to notify a person about the delivery of a parcel. A computerized delivery-acceptance system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,750 in which a computer-controlled access or locking mechanism guarantees secure delivery of packages.
Notification of the delivery of a parcel is also desirable in some circumstances. Several methods and devices are known in the art which serve this purpose. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,748, a method is provided for the notification of the delivery of express mail through a wireless page message. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,282, an audible or visual signal is generated within a dwelling when mail delivery has been made to that residence.
A storage device that secures goods from theft and exposure to the elements and also provides notification that items have been delivered or removed from the device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,053. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a key pad is located on the storage device which allows access through the entry of a specific code. Each specific vendor is given a unique code thereby allowing the owner of the box to be notified of which vendor had visited the storage device. Notifying the owner that a delivery has been made to a storage device occurs through transmitting the vendor code to a remote location through a telecommunications network.
A previous approach to some of these concerns is described in PCT publication WO 01/27740, published Apr. 19, 2001, assigned to the same assignee as the present application, which publication is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention is directed towards the logging of openings and closings of a secured storage receptacle to record the transfer of items. The method encompassed by the present invention comprises the following steps:
(a) gaining access to a signal-transmitting receptacle;
(b) transmitting a first confirmation signal to a mobile transmission node;
(c) processing the first confirmation signal at the mobile transmission node;
(c) transmitting a second confirmation signal to a central server; and
(d) notifying a consumer of the delivery with an electronic message.
The above process allows the transfer of items by a delivery carrier using a delivery truck equipped with central processing unit that allows delivery confirmation signals to be received from the signal-transmitting receptacle. The signal transmitted from the signal-transmitting receptacle is coupled to the opening and closing of the e-box.
Once a transfer of items has been confirmed by the central processing unit, a signal is sent from the delivery truck to a remote central server. The central server is connected to the Internet, allowing the consumer to be notified about the transfer through an email message, a posting on a web site, or through an electronic panel within the consumer""s residence.
The present invention also encompasses a computerized package transfer system for logging a transfer of a retail good, the computerized package transfer system comprising:
(a) a signal-transmitting receptacle;
(b) a central server;
(c) a wireless transmission path from the signal-transmitting receptacle to the central server for transmitting a transfer confirmation signal from the signal-transmitting receptacle to the central server; and
(d) a computer network system connected to the central server.
In the present invention, the wireless transmission path includes at least one transmission node, namely the delivery vehicle which is capable of receiving and transmitting transfer confirmation signals.